Sneak Peek At Apple’s iOS 8

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is expected to introduce its iOS 8 mobile operating system during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. Although the highly anticipated iPhone 6 most likely won’t arrive until late summer or early fall, Apple fans can get a sneak peak of what to expect from the next great smartphone when Apple unveils the upcoming mobile operating system.

What iOS 8 might feature

A key highlight for the upcoming iOS 8 O/S will likely involve health-related features such as Healthbook, a feature that’s expected to help users focus on fitness and heart health. The rumored built-in feature may look similar to Passbook, with bold-colored tabs. Healthbook could keep track of vital stats such as heart rate, blood sugar, blood pressure and physical activity. It could also feature a digital emergency card for safety purposes. It is predicted that Healthbook will work in conjunction with the purported iWatch, although the features probably won’t be restricted to the smart watch.

Another exciting change for iOS 8 will likely include a much-improved version of Apple Maps. For the longest time, the iPhone maker has relied on Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) to provide users with quality maps. Given the intense competition between the companies, it is not surprising Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) wants to break away from ties to rival and provide users with its own version of maps. Apple also probably wants to make up for the snafu that was the first introduction of Apple Maps with the iPhone 5.

iOS 8 to offer changes for iTunes Radio and Game Center

iOS 8 will also likely include an iTunes Radio upgrade. The current version of iOS keeps iTunes Radio stored within the Music feature, but an iOS upgrade could separate the radio from the rest of the music. One feature that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will probably drop from iOS 8 is Game Center. This stand-alone app is basically used by games that want to display scores on the leader board. It’s likely Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will allow users to make changes within the global settings, as well as put more access into the games.

The growing mobile industry also means a growth in cloud services. Apple will likely expand its iCloud service, which could include mobile versions of Preview and TextEdit.